US: Broadcasters ask FCC to halt Time Warner Cable & Charter merger

The National Association of Broadcasters has told the FCC it should deny the proposed Charter Communications-Time Warner Cable-Bright House Networks merger, and any other pay TV merger for that matter, unless the agency reforms its broadcast-ownership rules and, in any event, should suspend the review until it completes the overdue quadrennial rule review.

That came in a petition to the FCC Monday that clearly demonstrated the gloves are off in the battle between broadcasters and cable, with NAB slamming pay TV consolidation in general or at least the FCC’s failure to extend to broadcasters similar deregulatory opportunities, which it called an egregious double standard.

“While essentially forbidding the joint sale of advertising time by two TV stations in the same market, the Commission has permitted all major pay-TV providers – large cable operators including TWC, satellite TV operators and the telcos – to join forces to create a single platform for local and national advertisers.” the petition said.

“If the Commission fails to reform broadcast ownership rules, some of which are over 70 years old, to better reflect current competitive realities, then the FCC should deny the proposed merger,” NAB said.

Full content: Variety

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.